Even if a person has their heart set on a certain breed..the rescues eg midamericabassetrescue..mabr..are endless. When were are at the show this weekend..of course all wayside waif, the humane society, greyhound rescue..i assume the cats were related to the humane society..all there trying to educate and gain funds. My friend Kelly adopted her Lady coonhound there two years before. Dont give up on us homeless..we are all trying in the same direction. I'll bet the ranch you have a success story or two..people like to hear the positive stuff and it might encourage them to make one of their own. In my fuzzy bunny world, my rescue dog is one of the best parts of my life

Hey, I got Rocky from a breeder. And they're great dogs, so long as you get them from a reputable breeder. I'm not saying don't adopt one from a humane society but I mean reputable breeder's are also great. Of course, that is, if you want a pure bred dog.

__________________"No heaven can be heaven if my dog is not there to welcome me."

i am sure there is a place for all under the sun...and a person does have a right to fill their life with what they want..the problem is there are so many that die each day without a person to love, to be that person's special..people have the same problem eg the Christian's Children Fund...the Tusami relief..when you see the ones that have need..you have to question bringing even more into this world, when the ones here are already desperate and just as deserving. I am glad you have your dog..and that you are happy. I hope tho before you bring your next dog into your life, you will check something like petsavers.com and see if one of these dogs will speak to your heart, and avoid a needless death. We are all precious and deserving. A pedigree doesn't mean a thing other than your dog will look or behave a specific way. Sometimes great wonders come in new wrappings.

You can get purebreds at rescues too. And I think if you want a pet-quality dog then that's where you should get it. I don't sled or herd and both my dogs are rescues. I help out at the local shelter in little ways. I've started doing a pet of the week sort of thing where I take pictures of some of the pets each week and post them at the mall and at our office (I'll do more when I get a car).

And I've encouraged our paper to organize a pet-of-the-week thing. It's not going yet but I've done as much as I can from my end.

And I walk the dogs and play with the cats. I've lived here since last September and I've rescued three rabbits (one died) two cats and one dog. LOL And Maverick is a rescue from Vancouver. Mini was from a litter of kittens that my landlady had and Chiclet was from a pet store But we love her just the same.

There is another cat at the shelter that's I'd love. I don't know if my bf will go for it but she's gorgeous. If she's still there on friday I may get her. She's gorgeous and looks to be about the same age as my other cats.

Anyway, I think rescuing is the way to go. There are lots of shelters that rescue only certain breeds. Lots of them. So if you want a certain breed you can surely find one there if not at a SPCA or local shelter.

I just did a quick search of german shepard rescues and there were tons! Really. All over Can. US. the UK. It's quite sad really. And my bf's mom was thinking about getting a mini-pin again. There is a rescue right in Vancouver for them- as well as many others.

I don't know but it seems that y'all are saying it's not good to get from a breeder which slightly offends me since Rocky's from one of the most reputable breeders in my area. I dunno, I've never tried a rescue. This, you could say, is my first REAL dog . . .

__________________"No heaven can be heaven if my dog is not there to welcome me."

Oh, nobody's trying to offend you. I think for the most part we (I?) feel that it's better to rescue for a pet-quality animal. I understand if you are in competition or using a dog for another purpose that you may not be able to find the exact dog you are looking for. But, even Love4Pits has some rescues in her crew.

And, yes, if you are going to use a breeder it's MUCH better to go to a reputable one. Ideally all breeders would be reputable and there would be hardly any abandoned animals anywhere. But most people want to make a buck...

Since I got Maverick I've decided that I really love the Newfie breed. But not enough to go to a breeder (any breeder) and buy one. I'll look for them at rescues but I'd much rather adopt that husky/shepard cross at the shelter who looks at me with those such hope when I walk up and such sadness when I walk away.

He's a neat dog. Very curious and high-energy. Skeena is a great dog. Named because his owners through him in the Skeena river and he was rescued and brought to the shelter by some people that saw it happened. He is SO friendly. I'd love to adopt another dog but Mikey won't let me. lol

i wanted a young pup so bad after Bronki died..i had him from the very beginning..and believed that most of his early training was what made him so special..eg i trained all the puppies to come to a whistle as soon as their eyes and ears would first open..i would see them waking and toot on the whistle to "locate" mom. I debated strongly with myself about what i wanted for i do not know how long my health will hold out..i have lived hard while on this earth and have not been gentle with my package...so i figured this woulds probably be my last puppy. Victor was 5 months..not a little puppy..not baby cute in anyway..he was boney and long, ribs showing and so hyper we could fly to the moon,, but he was the right one for me. he had me out walking at 6 in the morning..i lost 10 lbs and my feet felt better..he filled out, calmed down and has surpassed any expectation i ever had of him. He house broke just as easy as any dog i have ever had. From the cradle is a beautiful way to start, but what a complete waste it would have been if i had surpassed this elegant dog to start with a baby. I found him on petsavers.com. Soon as i saw the pic..i knew he was the one. If you are showing..are hunting..or herding..then ok...but if like me you are looking for a companion..then look where you are needed most. I don't want to offend anyone ever,,i grew up with labradors and goldens..i find them absolutely gorgous..and the pounds are just full of ones that people jumped in first before they studied what they really wanted..or had a situation change and had to part with..for what ever reason..the dogs are there. I am just trying to speak for them.